Establishing Hyrule

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

"I..." Fintan trails off, looking embarrassed. "It's just that I didn't want it to happen right now... Not while all of this is happening."

I frown at him, feeling bad but also seeing his point. Taking a breath, I place my hand on his shoulder.

"Fintan, I know that work is important to you, and it always has been. But sometimes a distraction can be good. Things like this, they always happen when you least expect it. They hit you like a ton of bricks."

He nods his understanding, still seeming hesitant. "But you see, I don't want to become-"

"Distracted," I finish. Again, he nods, cheeks turning red.

I walk back and forth for a moment, mulling over what to say next. I turn on my heel to face him again.

"Melaina really does like you," I tell him. "Even someone as emotionally vacant as I am can see it, so that definitely counts for something. I think... I think you should really consider this."

I turn my back again, giving him a moment to think.

"Leoni and I... we rushed into things," I say. "And I myself wasn't ready for a relationship like that. Being with Leoni made me realise I'd never learned to love anything, feel anything. Leoni loved, he got emotional. I wasn't ready."

I turn around then, making my way back to Fintan. He listens intently, eyebrows drawn into a crease.

"But you, Fintan," I continue. "You have the ability to love, and Melaina loves you just as much as you think she does, likely more than that. So I say go ahead."

Fintan takes it all in, smiling at last. "Alright, Caoilainn. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," I say, waving a hand. "I'm gonna stay here for a bit, you should probably eat something."

Fintan nods, jogging off back in the direction of the camp. I'm left alone with my thoughts, in the warmth of the Goron cavern.

I'd have to talk to Leoni eventually. What he'd written in his notebook was extremely hopeful, and blatantly obvious. I couldn't avoid him forever.

[ElwayGuy7 10]

I decided. After Caoilainn saw what I wrote, as intended, she left the camp for a few minutes, talking with Fintan. I would talk to her about it when we got to Skyloft. It seemed most appropriate, and it wasn't plagued by Demons like the Surface. It would be the best place to either rekindle and continue or discard our relationship. I have also seen Fintan and Melaina looking at each other, and I can tell they feel as I do, except for one thing: the feeling is mutual. I am jealous, but I am happy for them, and I am almost sure that Caoilainn went to give Fintan advice about it. That seems odd to me, a self-declared emotionless person like Caoilainn giving romantic advice, but I've already seen clones and our settlement burned, so I suppose Caoilainn as a romantic adviser isn't too surprising. 

I turn back to my tent, and I begin putting it together. It takes a little longer than usual after today's ordeal, but the tent is up nonetheless. I stow my gear inside and sit on the ground next to the fire, looking up at the stars. I see a streak crossing the sky; a shooting star. I silently wish for her to come talk to me. Here's hoping it comes true, I think, staring at the starry sky above us.

Edited 15 Apr 2014 by ElwayGuy7 (see edit history)

[Franne 2]

I exit my tent and sit on the hard ground. I look up to the sky. The stars shine bright tonight.

I can't sleep. 

It's not the fact that we are in a very hot environment or that we were almost burned to a crisp today... It's because of Fintan. I mean, he's been acting so strange the past few days... First he's pretty cold with me to the point that he almost ignores me, and he just ran off a few hours ago claiming he needed some fresh air? In an area full of demons? I mean sure, he came back unharmed, but the look on his face was so... odd... It wasn't anything I had ever seen on his face before.

I sigh, loudly. Maybe too loud.

"Can't sleep?" Fintan whispers. 
I gasp. I didn't know he wasn't inside his tent either. "No... Looks like I'm not the only one," I reply, a little bit annoyed with him. What, now I'm good enough again to talk to?

"Is there something wrong?" he asks. 

Honestly? "I think I should be the one to ask that question," I answer, my annoyance now clearly audible. 

"Melaina I-" he sighs. he stands up and sits back down next to me. 

"What's been going on with you?" I ask. "You're my best friend since... Well since forever, and now you're acting like you don't know me? I mean, I know I can be mean sometimes, but not to you right? You know I'm not actually like that right?" 

He keeps on looking down. "Of course I do but-"

I interrupt him. "But what, Fintan?" 

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

After chatting with a passing Goron I return to our camp in silence. Fintan and Melaina are a little ways off to the side, discussing something in hushed tones. They're so focused on their whispered conversation they don't notice me at all.

I make my way to where Leoni lies looking at the stars. He jumps, barely suppressing a startled yelp when I lean over him.

"Caoilainn!" he half-shouts. Before he can continue, I pull him up onto his feet and away from our camp until we're out of earshot.

"What you wrote in your notebook," I begin immediately. "I saw all of it."

"You were supposed to," Leoni says, not even feigning surprise.

"Well..." I trail off, not exactly sure what to say. I let out an exasperated sigh and Leoni speaks up.

"Caoilainn, do you still have feelings for me?" he asks.

"Feelings?" I snap back at him. "I got rid of them before we left the Sheikah camp. I made sure I was a blank slate."

Leoni seems disappointed, to say the least, but I need to make him see.

"This is the way I'm comfortable," I try to explain. "When I don't feel anything, I don't become invested in meaningless things."

"So our relationship was meaningless?" Leoni asks. I pause, taking in his sorrowful expression.

"No," I tell him. "No, no, that's not how I-"

"It's fine," he interrupts me. "You don't have to explain."

"Leoni," I repeat, cursing my bad choice in words. "What we had wasn't meaningless, it was-"

"A distraction from your work," he says, throwing my words back in my face. "I understand."

He turns his back, leaving for the camp. I call out to him but to no avail.

Feeling more guilty than ever, and more frustrated than ever, I run the opposite way, ignoring the shouts of the Goron's as I rush past, leaving their cavern behind. I try to convince myself my eyes are stinging because of the speed I'm moving at.

[ElwayGuy7 10]

It is then that I realize what an idiot I am. She wanted to talk to me, and I basically slapped her in the face! Way to go, Leo. That's how you get girls to like you... I think. Another decision comes to mind. Two options: #1: I forget this ever happened and go to sleep, ending any chance we might have had. Or #2: I run after her, apologize profusely, and let her explain. I turn around, and start walking out of camp. "And besides," I say to myself. "she's all alone; defenseless near demon territory." I double check that I have my sword and shield, and I do, so I continue out of camp. I ask which way Caoilainn went, and some Gorons point to a stand of trees just outside their camp. I thank them and run after her. This might be the last chance, I think. Don't blow it.

I finally find her sitting on a tree branch, sobbing quietly. I stealthily clamber up the trunk, and sit next to her.

"I- I just want to apologize. For everything. Everything I've said, everything I've put you through, even though you weren't ready. It's all my fault; no need to blame yourself," I say, starting to tear up a little. "And especially for what just happened. That was wrong of me, and I want to hear what you have to say. You wanted to tell me something, and I want to listen." We are both silent for a while, and then she takes a deep breath and begins.

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

"When I said that I didn't want to get invested into 'meaningless' things," I start, "I was talking about things that would get me hurt. People I get close to always seem to get hurt."

I stand up, eyes roaming the stars. "And so I decided to not get close to anyone. I've..."

"Yes?" Leoni prompts.

With a huff of breath I continue. "I've survived where other people should have. I don't know why, but I don't let myself forget that."

I move away from Leoni, warning him wordlessly to stay where he is.

"And that's why, Leoni, I-"

"Don't say it," he pleads, but I shove his words aside, shaking my head.

"That's why I can't be with you," I finish.

"Caoilainn," he starts. "Why-?"

"Please," I cut him off, backing away. "Please don't do this to me."

"But I-"

"Stop!" I yell, much too forcefully. "Stop, stop..."

Ashamed of myself for being so harsh and so unaccepting, I turn and flee once more, clasping my hands over my ears so I don't have to hear Leoni's heartbroken cries of my name.

My legs scream in protest, but I can't, and won't stop myself.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

"But what, Fintan?" she asks. I can tell just by the look in her eyes that I've hurt her. I want to explain it all to her, how I just can't get her out of my head, even when I need to be focusing on other things. How she means so much to me that it's compromising my ability to work. How when the risk is highest, when I need to concern myself with the wellbeing of the Chosen Hero and the Mortal Goddess, all I want to know is if she's safe. But I've never had much of a way with words, especially when it comes to talking about how I feel. I guess that's what happens when you spend a good chunk of your life locked away in your own head.

"But you-"

And then suddenly I hear the cries of Goron's from the other side of the camp. I snap my gaze away from Melaina, just in time to see Caoilainn racing off away from the camp. Leoni falters for a few moments, before taking off after her. I swallow hard. Caoilainn's words from earlier flash through my mind.

"And I myself wasn't ready for a relationship like that. Being with Leoni made me realise I'd never learned to love anything, feel anything. Leoni loved, he got emotional. I wasn't ready."

This isn't good... this isn't good at all. I look back over to Melaina, who's still watching me with an irritated look in her amber eyes. I want to stay here, I want to talk to her, more than anything... but if I don't follow Caoilainn she's going to do something stupid.

"I'm so sorry..." I sigh. "I know you don't understand it now but this is important... I swear I'll come back for you."

I clamber to my feet, though I can see the disappointment as her shoulders droop. I swallow hard, and acting on an impulse; I reach out and place my hand along her jawline. I lean in, placing a kiss on her soft forehead. I hope that it's enough to send a message...

But I take off, racing after Leoni and Caoilainn, the feeling of Melaina's soft skin still leaving a tingle on my lips. I smile despite myself as I break out into the forest of decaying trees. I stumble across Leoni, but he's marching back towards the camp. I pause, deciding whether or not to talk to him, but the poisonous look he shoots me warns me to stay away. So I carry on, racing through the rotting wooden trees until I finally break out on the other side. There, Caoilainn stands in the clearing, firing arrows into a pillar of volcanic rock. I can't count the arrows wedged into the stone. I'm out of breath by the time I reach her from having run so far.

She hears my heavy breathing and turns to face me, bow still poised, arrow nocked. I can see the tear trails on her face, the anguish in her eyes. She changes her angle slightly, aiming her arrow directly at me.

"Back off Fintan" she growls.

"No," I say firmly, shaking my head. "This isn't the first time I've been on the receiving end of a threat from you, and I doubt it'll be the last. But you can't do this, you can't be so reckless to run off and leave the rest of us to clean up your mess."

"I said back off!" she growls. A pang rings out as she fires an arrow, but it flies just a couple of inches over my shoulder. That just proves what state she's in.

"Don't you dare!" I snap, raising my voice for the first time in years. "I was just about to talk to Melaina. I was finally going to confront something I've been wrestling with for longer than you know! And I had to give that up, throw that away to come chasing after you - so you'd better start talking to me!"

She swallows a hot sob then, nocking another arrow and firing it in my direction. I duck aside just in time, the arrow skimming just past my ear, but she's quick with another shot. This one catches me on the shoulder. I let out a hiss of pain - it's not a bad wound, but it'll need cleaning and patching.

"Who are you?" I spit, clutching my shoulder.

Edited 15 Apr 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[ElwayGuy7 10]

"Not the girl I loved. Not anymore," I say, standing behind her, tears streaming down my face. I take the bow from her hands and I set it on the ground behind me, putting me between her and it. "She wouldn't have run out here by herself, done something that rash, and then followed it up with something worse. You've endangered us all. I won't let anyone punish you, and I won't let you blot out your feelings with blood, like I did so long ago. Emotions aren't evil, they aren't something to be avoided. They're something to be had. A person who doesn't feel isn't a person at all. Everyone feels happiness, sadness, pain, loss, love, anger, and guilt. It's natural to feel all of those, and I want you to have those emotions, and many others in your life. You can't hide behind a wall of stoicisim and non-feeling forever." 

She turns to me, and then back to Fintan, who is clutching his shoulder. 

"Fintan, get out of here! Melaina, she needs you..." Caoilainn says, trailing off into sobs. Fintan turns and runs back to camp, as fast as his injury will allow him. I genuinely hope that their relationship is able to work, even if ours doesn't. 

I turn from the disappearing Fintan back to her. "I can't believe that you don't feel anything for me. I just can't..." I say, more tears welling up in my eyes.

Edited 15 Apr 2014 by ElwayGuy7 (see edit history)

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

"Don't you understand, Leoni?" I ask exasperatedly. I can feel myself growing agitated, snatching the arrow back. "I can't feel. I'm not able to."

He blinks back tears, heartbroken. I take a step back from him, refusing to meet his eye.

"You need to go," I tell him firmly. He shakes his head, adamant.

"I refuse to," he said.

"Then... Then I will," I say resolutely.

And with that I turn, leaving him alone as I race through the forest. I come to a halt when I spot Fintan, panting from exhaustion.

"Fintan..." I say, catching up to him. "Are you-?"

"You didn't answer my question," he interrupts. "Who are you, Caoilainn?"

I blink at his demand, my eyes drifting to his shoulder. My gaze turns to the bow next, another arrow already nocked. Suddenly repulsed, I drop it and take a step back.

"Who are you?' Fintan repeats.

"I don't... I don't know," I tell him, and I mean it. "I thought I knew everything there was to know about myself."

Fintan watches me carefully, grimacing through the pain in his shoulder. "I don't know either."

That is the last thing I want to hear. Fighting back a desperate plea for guidance, I rake my fingers through my hair and look about at our surroundings. Trees line the area behind me, and for a moment I consider...

"Don't run," Fintan warns. "You'll only cause more hassle if you do that."

I turn back to him, raising one eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"I'm not going to keep running after you," Fintan tells me. "So don't go off again."

"Oh?" I say, walking toward him. "You realise, Fintan, that you didn't have to come after me in the first place?"

"Are you that ungrateful?" Fintan asks, outraged.

And then there's a crack, and Fintan is on the ground and my knuckles are stinging. Pinned to the ground, Fintan's head lolls to one side, and I have to stop myself from punching again. The arrow I had nocked nearly pressing into his skin, I draw back. What had come over me?!

Suddenly wary of a noise behind me, I turn sharply and am met with a pair of bright eyes.

"Who's there?" I ask hesitantly, willing Fintan to get up. All I get from him is a soft groan.

Another noise comes from my right, and I find another pair of eyes watching... waiting.

"Caoilainn," the other one calls, with a reedy voice that sets me on edge.

"Wh-Who is that?" I ask, beginning to really worry. Fintan stirs, a grunt of pain following that.

"It's alright," the other one says, his voice deeper and just as terrifying. "We're not going to hurt you, child."

I back away, but they move with me. Fintan sits up, looking confused.

"Caoilainn...?" he asks, his tone puzzled.

"Fint-"

It's all I get out before hands are clasped over my eyes and mouth, and darkness swallows me whole.

[Knuckle 484]

An urge to relieve himself wakes Sault up from sleep. It's late at night, Link is passed out, and everything is incredibly still; how can it be so quiet in a camp of eight? At any rate, nature calls, so he jumps into his regular outfit while foregoing the weapons and gear he usually carries. The world outside the tent is lit by the moon but just as still, and even after taking care of business and making his way back to camp Sault just as alarmed by the silence.

 

There is a spontaneous feeling of being very close to someone before a strong chop connects with Sault's right arm. The bones aren't broken, but the nerves are completely shut off and the muscles won't move. A sweeping kick knocks out his feet from under him, immediately followed by a hand gripping his neck. The hand raises his ear to the mouth of his attacker, and the voice that comes out is unmistakably Blagdan. "I hope you weren't expecting to get away with destroying my creation." he whispered with quiet fury. "Your punishment will be most severe, but in the meantime you are going to help me. I've captured one of your friends, and if you want to see her again, you will go to the Lanayru Gorge and get the Blade of Duplicity shard. It's at the bottom of the gorge, easy enough for you lot to find, and once you have it there will be an exchange. You have 5 days." With that, Blagdan knocks Sault on his back and teleports away.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

It takes me a few moments for my mind to register that she's really gone. I sit up, a hand pressed to my throbbing head, pain still resonates from my shoulder too. I'm lucky I didn't sustain any injuries on my legs though, meaning I can still walk back to the camp. My vision fuzzes in and out as I force myself to get up to my feet. That punch Caoilainn landed was nasty... I dont understand what came over her. I glance down at my shoulder, only to find that I've bled right through my shirt.

This is all so wrong - I don't understand it. The Demon's words echo through my jumbled mind: "We're not going to hurt you, child." Since when did the Demon Lords ever show mercy? I take a few steps forward, leaning on a tree trunk for support as I cast my mind back. Caoilainn came to the camp when she was just a child... no one ever knew her parents, but I know what happened to them thanks to Sheik. Mutilated by Demons... and yet they spared her? I've fought Demons on a number of occasions, spent time locked up in a cell thanks to them. They never show mercy - so why do they do it for her?

I picture the look on her face as she fired those arrows, as she threw that punch. I think of the way she's fought so ruthlessly and without mercy. I remember how she told me she didn't know how to love.

"I thought I knew everything there was to know about myself."

The realisation hits me like a tidal wave, and there's nothing I can do to fight the gagging sensation. I turn, bile spilling from my lips and onto the tree trunk - making my head throb even more. I retch until there's nothing left, before turning, forcing myself to get back to camp. I need to tell the others, before it's too late.

 

The camp is quiet when I stumble back. The patch of blood on my shoulder has significantly increased in size and the pain in my head has intensified - but I need to find someone, fast! Sault is on his knees as I approach the tents, head bowed, cradling his arm. His shoulders rise and fall like he's breathing deeply. I stagger over, dropping to my knees next to him. He looks up, and I see the look of desperation in his eyes.

He reaches out, grabbing one of my arms with a sense of urgency. His other arm hangs limp by his side, useless.

"Fintan," he gushes. "The Demons... they came..."

"What happened to you?" I ask, pulling him up to sit a little straighter. "Your arm..."

"It was Blagdan," he says. "He got the drop on me... but Fintan, Fintan they've taken someone!"

I nod, tears pricking in my eyes. "I know... it's Caoilainn. I saw them take her. But Sault... it's not what you think."

He reaches up, gripping me by the shoulder. "He struck a deal Fintan, he wants-" he pauses, pulling his hand back as he notices the blood on his fingertips from my wound. "Fintan you're-"

"I know," I cut him off. "But Sault, this is important! They didn't take Caoilainn as a hostage, at least, not just as a hostage. There's something more... Sault... I think Caoilainn's part Demon."

[Knuckle 484]

Sault can't help but look completely baffled at Fintan's deduction; Caoilainn is a half-demon? How could such a thing even happen? "I know it sounds strange, but it's the only way to fit together everything I've heard." He explains. Sault nods in understanding and Fintan continues. "Regardless, we need to round everyone up and discuss all of this. I hate to wake up the others, but a meeting needs to happen right now." He seems to falter for a moment, something weighing heavily on his mind. "I can take care of Leo and Melania. You wake everyone else up." Sault offered so abruptly even he was surprised. Fintan replies with a warm smile, and the two head off.

 

Melania was only a few hundred paces away when Sault found her, a look of complete bafflement on her face. "Uh... Melania. We need you to head back to the camp, something big happened!" Sault didn't make a visible impression on her, but she did seem to recognize what she was told as she ran back to everyone else. Continuing down the road, he found Leo moving at a slow pace and looking incredibly grim. As if he'd read Sault's mind, he nodded and began running back to the campsite. "I get the feeling he just wanted to run and hide in his tent." Sault mused quietly to himself, then quickly made his way back to camp.

[ElwayGuy7 10]

I arrive back in camp, and Fintan's meeting commences.

"I'm sorry that I had to wake you all, but we have a bit of a situation. Caoilainn has been abducted by the Demon Lords, and has been held hostage in exchange for the retrieval of the shard that lies in Lanayru Gorge. We have to find and hand over the shard in 5 days, or else something will happen to her, and we will all probably be taken captive or killed, or both," Fintan says, calm and even. "The other development is that I believe Caoilainn to be half Demon. It explains their favorable treatment of her when she was captured, and also why she can't feel love, as Leo here can testify." My heart sinks more with each word he says, but at the same time, it makes sense. She physically cannot feel love, and thus, she can't ever love me, or anyone. Especially because of her 'parents' and their mistake. I'm not even sure I can believe that story.

"Well, I believe the question now is what do we do about it?" Melaina says. "I mean, Caoilainn is our friend, but is she a Demon? And is it worth rescuing her?" I step in.

"It is always worth rescuing a friend, no doubt about it. What we need is a plan. We will have to retrieve the shard, whether we hand it over or not, so we need to get to Lanayru Desert as fast as possible. As for exchanging it for Caoilainn, I am doubtful that the Demons are honorable enough to make a fair exchange, so we need some other idea as to how to get both the third shard and Caoilainn out of this situation," I say.

"We could try to infiltrate their base again, but that seems highly dangerous and likely to be unsuccessful," Link says. "The best chance for an attack would be at the exchange. If they bring Caoilainn, then we can act like we will hand over the shard, and then launch a surprise attack and free her."

"Could we create a fake shard?" Sault asks, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What does that have to do- Oh! I get it!" Bryarly exclaims. "We could exchange Caoilainn for the fake shard, and then the Demons would still be without a shard and we would have 3 out of 4 shards and our friend back!"

"Only if they fall for it, but it could work. There is a craftsman in Skyloft who might be capable of creating a replica if we took him the original," Link says.

"Then that is the plan? Go to Lanayru and retrieve the shard, then see if this craftsman can create a fake one that we can trade for Caoilainn?" Fintan asks. Everyone nods, and then we disperse to pack our gear. Fintan's theory about Caoilainn makes sense, but I still can't get over her, regardless of whoever she really is. I just want to prove myself to her, and this could be my chance. I make another decision in my head, right then and there. I will be the one to hand over the fake blade at the exchange. If I am captured, so be it. Anything is worth it for her....

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

I wake bleary-eyed, my head pounding and my back aching. Blinking, I move to stand up and falter when I find my arm has been bound, chained to the filthy brick wall behind me.

Immediately I know I'm not safe. I reflect over recent events and then it hits me. I've been captured.

I look to the wall facing me. A locked door, with a barred window. I can't see a thing from where I stand, so I'm left to look at my cell, which is unclean to say the least.

I listen carefully, and hear soft footsteps approaching. Preparing myself, I wait for the door to open.

It swings open and I find myself faced with a tall demon, flanked by two guards. The one in the middle radiates authority, and is the one to approach me.

"Caoilainn," he says, bending so that he is at my height.

His head is knocked to the right as my fist clashes with his jaw. He growls, but it dissipates and he actually smiles. His guards spring into action, one of their hands glowing while the other raises a fist. But the demon in front of me dismisses them, turning back to me.

"My name is Blagdan," he introduces himself.

"I don't care," I hiss, my voice more ferocious than I myself feel.

"... And I'm rather well-known amongst my kind as a biological scientist."

I frown at that, the description sounding familiar. Wasn't this Blagdan the demon who'd tried...?

My thoughts are interrupted by one of the guards, the one whose hands are still glowing and at the ready.

"Sir," he says, "we're under pressure for time, as you're-"

"Yes, yes I know," Blagdan replies brusquely. He turns back to me, and I do my best to glare despite the pain in my head.

"Now, my dear Caoilainn," he says. "We have work to do!"

"For you?" I retort. "Never."

Blagdan's smile falters, but not for long. He gets to his feet, looking like he's almost about to rub his hands together with glee.

"Well then," he says, and a knot forms in my stomach with his next words, "it seems we'll have to convince you in some... other way."

Edited 16 Apr 2014 by ButterflyBabyBlue (see edit history)

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

Once I get back into my tent, my main priority is to dress the wound on my shoulder. I don't have much to pack, so I know that it won't take me long, but this needs seeing to. I peel off my shirt and begin cleaning the wound with a damp cloth. After a few moments, I hear soft rustling behind me and turn to find Melaina stood in the doorway.

"Can I come in?" she asks.

I nod. "Of course."

She steps through, letting the fabric fall back into place behind her. She looks at me for a few moments, before saying "Can I help you with that?"

"Thank you," I say with a smile.

She takes the cloth from my hand and sets to work dabbing at the wound. It's not particularly deep, but it's enough to limit movement a little in my left arm.

She frowns. "So what exactly happened?"

I look away, unsure of how to approach this. "It was Caoilainn... I think she felt threatened- she shot me with her bow and arrow."

She blinks, clearly a little stunned. She doesn't reply, instead saying "have you got an adhesive dressing?"

"Yes, in my bag."

She kneels down, rooting through my kit bag. I watch her in silence. There's an undercurrent here, the lingering tension of things left unsaid - it's really eating away at me. I press my lips together, it's better to emit it all together.

"I'm sorry I ran off," I say as she gets back up, adhesive dressing in hand. "It was important... but I think in truth I'm just bad at talking about feelings..." I gesture awkwardly to my shoulder wound. "Look where it got me..."

"Serves you right, Mister," she says with her crooked smile. Relief washes over me- there's the Melaina I fell for. You know it's ok when she cracks a joke, when she's serious, you know you've done something badly wrong.